Flirt Alert
by PurpleWonderPower
Summary: Betty and five fellow Guardians, including Zulia, go to stop Maximus from blowing up galaxies, and the unlikely couple use the opportunity to flirt. Maximus x Zulia short story, sequel to I've Got Felines For You!


**Flirt Alert**

"This one was from when those Betty Clones attacked places all over the galaxy and framed me," said Betty, pointing to a newspaper cutting that was stuck on a page of her memory book. The title read ATOMIC BETTY! THE GOOD GIRL GONE BAD!

Paloma gasped! "Gosh!" she exclaimed, clapping her hand to her mouth, "I hope you managed to clear your name!"

"Don't worry, I did," assured Betty.

Betty, Paloma and Juanita were looking through Betty's Galactic Guardian scrapbook, which held everything from photos to newspaper clippings to leaflets to tickets.

"These dozen are of when we entered the ancient Pharotines' mothership to find the secret scroll before Maximus did," said Betty, pointing to a dozen or so pictures that Sparky had taken for the Pharotine Fan Club, that he had also given to Betty for her memory book.

"What are _those_ from?" asked Paloma, pointing to several pressed rose petals taped to the next page.

"Oh," said Betty, rolling her eyes, "They were from Maximus's vocal performance. It happened while our band was performing at Penelope's birthday party."

" _Maximus_ took a singing career?" repeated Paloma, flatly.

"I know, right?" said Betty, rolling her eyes, "His singing wasn't bad, you know. But he had kidnapped another singer to take his place, and also used hypnotic speakers to get the audience to meet his expected standards, so we kinda had to arrest him."

"That sounds like Maximus," said Paloma, smiling.

"Tell me about it," said Betty. She turned the page of her memory book. "This one," she said, pointing to a picture of her, Sparky and X-5 in white award ceremony uniforms, "Was when Sparky got promoted to captain and assigned Carly and X-3 as his crew."

Paloma and Juanita laughed! "Sparky?" scoffed Juanita, "A _captain?"_

"It wasn't permanent," Betty assured the little girl, "Now here's one from—"

 _Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!_

Betty's bracelet suddenly began to light up and vibrate!

Betty gasped!

"Looks like someone needs you," smiled Paloma.

Betty smiled and pressed a button on her vibrating bracelet.

"Atomic Betty!" exclaimed Admiral DeGill, popping up in Betty's bracelet's projection, "We need you! Maximus is—" He suddenly broke off. "Oh!" beamed DeGill, "Is that Paloma and Juanita?"

"Hi, Admiral," said Juanita, giving the fish a wave.

"Haven't seen you in a while," said Paloma, smiling, "It's good to see you."

"The feeling is mutual. The galaxy still owes you two a great debt," said DeGill, graciously, "Now, onto more important matters! Atomic Betty—Maximus I.Q. has a new death ray, which he is using to obliterate entire galaxies!"

Betty gasped! "That sounds serious!" she exclaimed, "I'm on my way!"

She turned off her bracelet and looked back at Paloma and Juanita. "I'm really sorry, you two, but I'm going to have to—"

"It's fine, Betty," Paloma assured her, "Your Galactic Guardian duties _must_ come first."

"Thanks, Paloma," said Betty, gratefully. Then a thought struck her. "Do you want to come with me?" she asked, "Maximus knows Sharbenians aren't to be messed with."

Paloma shook her head. "I don't think so," she said, smiling, "I'm not a Galactic Guardian. Besides, I'm pretty sure beating Maximus is something you want to do yourself."

Betty laughed. "Maybe a little," she admitted, "I'd better go. Bye, Paloma. Bye, Juanita."

"Bye, Betty!" the sisters chorused as Betty pressed a button on her bracelet and beamed up to her starcruiser.

"Alright! Time to save the universe!" declared Betty, as she appeared in the teleporter dressed in her Galactic Guardian uniform.

"Thank goodness you're here, Atomic Betty," exclaimed Admiral DeGill, striding up to the teleporter.

"Admiral DeGill!" she greeted him, saluting, "What are you doing here?"

"This threat is so big I fear you will need all the help you can get," said DeGill, "I also asked B-1 and Zulia to come along. I've got a _bad_ feeling about this."

"B-1 and _Zulia?"_ repeated Betty, flatly, "Admiral, I very much doubt that _Zulia_ will be any help against _Maximus."_

"Whatever do you mean?" questioned DeGill.

Betty was about to tell Admiral DeGill that Zulia was Maximus's girlfriend, but Sparky interrupted from his seat at the front.

"Hiya, chief!" he exclaimed, "Looks like big trouble this time!"

Betty hoisted herself up into her captain's chair. "Sparky, get us into hyperspace!"

"Aye, aye, chief!" Sparky slammed his foot onto the accelerator and their starcruiser shot off into the starry black sky.

Soon, they arrived, and Betty spotted Maximus's black spaceship aiming an ultimate death ray at the brightly coloured Zanfa galaxy. Betty pressed a button on her chair and the caller popped out of the top of her starcruiser.

"This is Atomic Betty!" ordered Betty on the caller, "I demand to talk to Maximus!"

"Well, well, well," purred Maximus, appearing on the video phone, "If it isn't that little galactic pest Atomic _Betty._ Care to...admire the show?"

He pressed a button on a remote. His death ray began to warm up and vibrate.

"Maximus!" ordered Betty, "By the power vested in me, I order you to cease this destruction you're causing on the universe!"

"Hah! Good _luck!"_ sneered Maximus, "Soon all these galaxies will be no more than debris, and there will be NOTHING you can do about it! Mwahahahahahaha!"

" _Hi,_ honey!" exclaimed Zulia, striding forwards, "Love your death ray, that thing looks expensive!"

The moment he spotted Zulia, the devilish smirk on Maximus's face instantly reverted to a much warmer smile. "Why, if it isn't my darling Zulia," he purred, warmly, "You're looking very fetching today, my dear. Are those new earrings?"

"Oh!" exclaimed Zulia, touching her pearl earrings, "I didn't think you'd notice! Why yes. Yes they are. Do you like them?"

"They certainly bring out your eyes," the supervillain said, seductively.

"Oh, stop it." Zulia waved her hand dismissively. "Are you free next Saturday? Maybe we can see a movie."

"That sounds _delightful,"_ Maximus replied, flirtatiously, "How's eight o'clock?"

"Perfect!" exclaimed Zulia.

"I'll look forward to it," replied Maximus. They both chuckled sexily, then Maximus cleared his throat. "Ahem. Now, back to business." He pressed a button, and a blast of light shot out of his death ray, blowing the Zanfa galaxy in its path to smithereens!

The Guardians all gasped in horror as an array of flaming rocks and comets rocketed from the Zanfa galaxy's remains!

"You won't get away with this!" shouted Betty.

"Oh, and who's going to stop me, the great Maximus I.Q!" mocked Maximus, "You, Atomic Betty? Mwahahahahahaha!"

He winked at Zulia, and then the video screen went black. Zulia smiled, then turned around to face the other Guardians. Betty, Sparky and X-5 were all giving her deadpan looks, and B-1 and Admiral DeGill wore expressions of pure shock.

"What?" Zulia asked, innocently.

"Mom, how can you call him _honey!?"_ exclaimed Sparky.

"Zulia, I've gotta be frank," said Betty, flatly, "I don't know what you see in him, but I pity your taste in boyfriends."

"BOYFRIENDS!?" exclaimed B-1 and Admiral DeGill, incredulously.

"Yeah, she's dating Maximus," said Betty, flatly, "She's just got a thing about him."

"Good heavens, Zulia, that's not right!" exclaimed DeGill, jumping down from the seat and up to Zulia, "Maximus is a criminal!"

"Oh, you'd be surprised what a real _sweetheart_ he can be when it's just me and him," replied Zulia.

Betty, Sparky and X-5 rolled their eyes. Being his girlfriend, Zulia always sought out the good side of Maximus, but her opinions weren't exactly shared between others. It seriously bugged them that Zulia was dating the biggest villain in the galaxy, but the Guardians had tried separating them and it had just made them both miserable. So although it was an ironic and difficult relationship, it held.

Maximus's death ray warmed up, pointing at another of the surrounding galaxies.

"Sparky, get in front of that ship!" ordered Betty, "We have to stop him from blowing up any more of those galaxies!"

"Roger, chief!"

Sparky slammed his foot onto the accelerator, and their starcruiser shot forwards.

"X-5, activate the deflector shields!" ordered Betty!

"Affirmative, captain!"

As Maximus's death ray fired at the next galaxy, Betty's starcruiser shot in front of it, and the death ray ricocheted right off it! It shot harmlessly into a nearby star and was absorbed.

"Sparky, follow him!" Betty exclaimed, pointing at Maximus's ship, which was pointing at another galaxy.

Their starcruiser shot in front of the death ray and deflected the beam again. And again. And again. And again.

"We're going around in circles!" exclaimed Admiral DeGill, "We must destroy that death ray!"

"Roger, Admiral DeGill! Sparky, activate the lazer!" ordered Betty, "Aim it right at Maximus's death ray!"

"Aye, aye, chief!" replied Sparky.

"Not _too_ hard, though," said Zulia, concernedly.

Sparky slammed his fist onto the button, and a blast of blue light shot out if their lazer cannon and hit Maximus's death ray with an explosion of smoke and sparks!

"YES!" cheered Betty, punching the air.

The smoke cleared and Maximus's death ray was unblemished.

"It's too well-protected!" realized Betty, "There's only one thing to do! We'll have to take it out from the inside!"

Sparky, X-5, DeGill and B-1 gasped!

"WHAT!?" shrieked Sparky, incredulously, "You mean enter Maximus's ship!? Are you crazy!? He's probably got a whole army of guards ready to crush us!

"We don't have a choice," said Betty, firmly, "The fate of billions of lives are in our hands. X-5, engage the holo-cloak, and Sparky, get us above Maximus's ship!"

They both obeyed. The holo-cloak activated, disguising their starcruiser as an asteroid, and Sparky positioned them right above Maximus's ship.

"OK, is everybody ready?" asked Betty, as they all stood in the teleporter.

"Ready!" they chorused.

Betty pressed a button on her bracelet. There was a bright beam of light, and the five Guardians and the Guardian's mother were beamed down onto Maximus's ship.

In the other room, Maximus saw the Guardians beam down into his ship on the CCTV screen, and gave a scream of fury!

"Come on, troops, this way!" said Betty, running towards the double doors of the room, but before they could even take a few steps, the double doors opened, revealing a huge group of Maximus's robot subjects standing there!

The Guardians gasped!

"Robots! Seize them!" yelled Maximus, "But not too hard for Zulia," he added, quickly.

About four dozen of Maximus's robot subjects whipped out their weapons and headed right for the six heroes!

"Come on, Guardians!" yelled Betty, poising for attack, "Let's show these robots how it's done!"

"Aye aye, chief!"

The Guardians scattered; Betty and DeGill took out the robots with some firm punches and kicks, Sparky zapped them with his pocket lazer, reducing them to piles of burnt metal, X-5 and B-1 threw some firm blows with their pop-out boxing gloves, and Zulia whacked them on the head with her rolling pin. Nuts and bolts and robot parts were hurled this way and that, and before long, Maximus's robots were reduced to a scrap pile.

Maximus's eyes narrowed. "You are all so TEDIOUS!" he bellowed! He grabbed his lightsaber and charged right at the Guardians, before—

"YAH!"

Another blade smashed into his red one, nearly knocking Maximus off his feet.

"En garde," said Zulia, sexily. She leaped up and swung her blue blade into Maximus's red one. She jumped up and aimed it at him, and Maximus only just had time to block it before she landed and aimed another blow at him.

"Go!" Zulia yelled to the other Guardians, before blocking another shot. Zulia was small and very agile, so Maximus had a hard time fending her off.

"I'm _really_ sorry about this," Zulia said, as she continued to fight Maximus off with her lightsaber, "If you like, I'll buy the popcorn on Saturday to make up for it."

"Oh, don't bother doing that," said Maximus, stumbling backwards as he blocked Zulia's expert lightsaber blows, "I tried to obliterate you on our first date." He clashed his red blade with her blue one. "Now we're even!"

Clash! Clang! Clash! Clang!

"You are exceptional!" exclaimed Maximus, blocking each one of Zulia's blows, "Where do you get all these moves!?"

"I studied fencing in highschool," Zulia said, twiddling her lightsaber between her fingers, "YAH!" She jumped up and swung her lightsaber down into his, making Maximus stagger back.

He raised his blade again and stepped forward.

CLASH!

They both clashed their lightsabers at the same time and struggled against each other until their faces almost touched. They smiled and nuzzled noses, then Maximus thrust his right hand upwards, hurling Zulia's lightsaber into the wall, breaking it in two.

"Touché," he said, playfully, pointing the lightsaber at her, menacingly.

Zulia glanced back at the broken lightsaber by the wall, then smirked at her boyfriend. "Who needs a lightsaber?" she grinned, "When _I've_ got something better."

She unlooped her handbag from her shoulder and twirled it menacingly. Upon seeing that, Maximus's flirty expression turned to that of pure horror!

"OH NO!" he shrieked, backing away in fear, "DON'T hit me with that, please, please, anything, ANYTHING but that!" He backed away in horror, his eyes fixed on that fiendish handbag.

"Maybe I will, maybe I won't," purred Zulia, smacking her handbag against her palm as she advanced on him. He heard her keys jingle as she did so.

"Please, DON'T hit me with that!" begged Maximus, backing away, "That was a trauma I do NOT want to experience again!"

He shuddered violently as he remembered being hit by her handbag after they had broken up years ago. It still gave him nightmares to this day.

Zulia advanced on Maximus with a menacing glint in her eye as she smacked her handbag smartly against her palm. He backed away in fear, finally reaching the wall. She advanced on him until their noses were almost touching. Zulia smirked at the look of terror on his face.

"Ugh, you're such a _drama queen!"_ she exclaimed, rolling her eyes and putting her handbag back on her shoulder. Maximus exhaled. Then he scooped her up in his arm, pinning her arms to her sides so she couldn't move them.

"Care to repeat that comment, my little doomsday button?" he purred, holding the lightsaber close to her neck.

Zulia gave him a look that said _I'm not buying it._

He winked and put her down. "Now where were we?" he grinned, pointing the lightsaber at her, menacingly.

Zulia chuckled, then dug her hand into her handbag, and brought out her frying pan. She aimed it at the handle of the red blade, and with a loud CLANG! Maximus's red lightsaber catapulted up into the air and stabbed into one of his chandeliers, staying there. A few shards of glass sprinkled down.

Maximus blinked. His eyes fell on his now empty hand. That had been sudden. "Not bad," he said, approvingly, "I'll admit I didn't see that coming."

"Thank you," said Zulia, pleased, swinging her frying pan from her hand, "Sorry about your chandelier."

Maximus shrugged. "They're not expensive."

There was suddenly a series of clicks and fizzes heard from the other room. "Excuse me," Maximus said, innocently, "But I have galaxies to blow up."

With that, he sprinted over to the other room, but suddenly the double doors slammed shut with a loud beep!

"What in the—?"

Maximus whipped round just in time to see Zulia take the security card out of the scanner that closed the door. She whistled innocently as she twiddled the card between her fingers.

"Give me that card," said Maximus, taking a grab for it.

Zulia jumped back. "If you want it," she said, innocently, "Come and get it."

Maximus took another grab, but she whisked it away again. "I _really_ don't have time for this!" exclaimed Maximus, running after Zulia.

"That _is_ kind of the point," said Zulia, casually, sprinting away from him.

"Will you _please_ give me that card!" said Maximus, exasperatedly, as he chased her all over the room, "My shoes are getting scuffed!"

"Sorry, honey, but we're enemies by code right now," said Zulia, sprinting away from him, "I can't really do that."

"My life is so complicated," complained Maximus, as he continued to relentlessly chase his girlfriend around the room, "Sometimes I wish I could just blow up a few galaxies in peace."

"I feel your pain, honey," said Zulia, once again escaping his hands, "There are a lot of things I wish were different. OK, my legs are getting tired now."

Her sprint staggered into a speedwalk, and Maximus scooped her up. "I suppose if you want something done, you have to do it yourself," smirked Maximus, pinching Zulia affectionately on the cheek. He plucked the card out of her gloved hand and swiped it down the scanner. He put Zulia down, and with a loud beep, the doors snapped open. Maximus only just had time to realize Betty had dismantled his death ray's control panel and taken out the power source, before a loud alarm sounded from the ship's computer.

"CORE TEMPERATURE CRITICAL," bleeped the computer, "SELF DESTRUCT IMMINENT."

Maximus sighed. "This again?"

With a flash of light, all the Guardians, including Zulia, beamed up into their starcruiser, which zoomed away.

Zulia looked out the window and watched Maximus's ship rapidly disintegrate in front of her eyes. She dug out her phone and wrote a text to him.

 _Bye, honey_ she typed, _We're still on for the movies, right?_

She pressed the send button, then after a few moments, a message appeared from Maximus.

 _I'll count the seconds._ ❤️


End file.
